Festival volunteering with Oxfam: the 2024 guide
Festival volunteering with Oxfam is, in my opinion, the best way to attend festivals. You get to attend a music festival (for free!), Oxfam gains funds for its charity works and the festival gains cheap labour: everyone benefits!
Perhaps you are thinking of volunteering in 2024, want to know more about the roles that Oxfam operates at, or simply are curious about how it all works. In any case, I’ve written this guide to answer your questions and give you more information. I’ve been festival volunteering with Oxfam for the past three years and absolutely love it, so I hope you’ll find it an interesting and motivating read!
What is festival volunteering?
Every year, there are hundreds of music festivals around the UK, offering music and entertainment over a weekend in the summer. Each festival has their own niche. Some are aimed at the younger generation, with chart or indie pop music; others, an older base. Some feature heavy metal; others, folk. And some are more focussed on activities, comedy or food.
It’s true what they say: if you can get into the festival mindset, there’s something for everyone!
If you’ve been to a large festival before, you may have seen an army of people in tabards, manning the gates, checking tickets, at accessibility platforms or in the campsites. Depending on the festival, many of these people will be volunteers.
In return for working a certain number of hours, volunteers get free entry to the festival.
Why volunteer at a festival?
You may think – why would you volunteer for a private event which is aiming to earn a profit, potentially at your expense?
Whilst to a degree you are there as a form of cheap labour (alongside the thousands of low wage staff employed at the festivals), you may be able to contribute to a great cause instead.
A number of different charities, including Oxfam, Water Aid, Mind, Crisis and Greenpeace, use festival volunteering as a way of raising funds for their endeavour. For example, Oxfam earns over half a million pounds from their volunteer efforts at Glastonbury alone.
For many of us though, let’s be honest: raising money for charity isn’t our priority when festival volunteering. The bigger benefit is that you get free entry into the festival when you aren’t on shift. You might also get staff perks too, with free parking and access to the site during the building and breaking stages.
Plus, volunteers normally have their own campsite which is of a better quality than the punters’, with better loos and access to showers – indispensable when your other options within the festival proper can leave a lot to be desired.
Why volunteer at festivals with Oxfam?
I do all my festival volunteering with Oxfam. I’ve gone to six festivals with them over the past three years and found them to be welcoming and friendly.
There are a lot of perks to volunteering with Oxfam. The campsite for Oxfam volunteers (known as the ‘Oxfield’) tends to be higher quality than the campsite for punters, with generally nicer toilets and access to showers. Inside the Oxfield there’s always a marquee with charging points and hot water. The Oxfield normally has a volunteer checking IDs at the gate, so the campsite normally feels more secure and safer than the rest of the festival as well, and as a working campsite it is also quieter: perfect if you’re keen on your sleep!
They pride themselves on their family feel – at every festival I have been to with them, I have left with new friends I’m still in touch with. They don’t call it the ‘Oxfamily’ for nothing.
What work is involved?
There are three types of roles that Oxfam volunteers fulfil: stewards, campaigners and shop workers. Each of these have their own shift schedules and responsibilities.
Stewards
The majority of Oxfam volunteers come as stewards. This is what I’ve done for all the festivals I’ve volunteered at, and what most people will do as their first festival.
As a steward, you will work 3 x 8.25 hour shifts, which includes a 30 minute break. Depending on the festival, these run 24 hours and run throughout the weekend, as well as on the opening and closing days.
Volunteering roles vary at each festival, but normally comprise:
- Working the gates, which can include checking tickets, giving out wristbands and directing people into lanes;
- Campsite information points, pointing punters in the right direction for whatever they need, be it the main stage or the nearest (clean) loo;
- Working at the disability platforms, making sure they are only accessible to those who need them, or patrolling the arena; and
- Observation towers, checking for fires and any other problems throughout the campsites.
At the festivals I attended in 2021, a big role was also to check and verify Covid-19 passes for attendees – although this is a job role now lost to the past! Certain festivals also use Oxfam volunteers for other specific roles.
In your remaining time, you are free to enjoy the festival as any other punter would. Your shift pattern will restrict what you can see or do, but you would normally still get two nights to enjoy the festival.
Campaigners
Campaigners have an entirely different role. Instead of stewarding, they’re there to encourage punters to support Oxfam’s causes. This normally involves getting them to sign a petition.
For example, in 2023 they were petitioning for climate justice and getting the U.K. government to commit to a damage fund. On a practical level this meant campaigners were approaching punters and asking them to sign a petition.
Campaigning has slightly nicer shifts than the ones available for stewards, with 4 x 6 hour daytime shifts. If you want to see all the headliners, this is the role for you! However, as you’ll be constantly talking to punters and promoting Oxfam’s causes, this isn’t one for the introverts. It’s certainly not my cup of tea…
Shop
Many festivals also include an Oxfam shop. These require volunteers to run them.
Shop volunteering is quite different to stewarding and I can’t pretend to have any experience in it. Most shop volunteers work a 6 hour shift each day the festival, meaning teams can end up being quite close. In return you get extra meal tokens and a guaranteed indoors shift location – great in a rainy festival!
To work in the shop, you have to be an existing volunteer at an oxfam shop. If you are one already, it’s a great option.
Oxfam festival glossary
- Oxfield: the campsite used by all the Oxfam volunteers. Normally equipped with a marquee, it’s a great place to find and meet fellow volunteers.
- Oxfamily: a collective term for all the volunteers, supervisors and managing team. It accurately describes the friendly vibe you get from most of the volunteers you meet!
- Oxbox: a portacabin which acts as Oxfam’s operations base at each festival.
Benefits of festival volunteering with Oxfam
1. A better campsite
As well as getting free entry to the festival, Oxfam has their own campsite. Normally the loos are a bit better than those in the main festival; plus, there is access to showers, hot water (with tea and coffee) and charging points. There’s normally a steward on the gate to the campsite which improves security.
It should be said though that a nicer campsite isn’t guaranteed. Much of the planning for the Oxfield is down to the wider festival organisers, so the location and facilities within the campsite isn’t up to Oxfam. This can sometimes result in disorganisation.
2. Lovely people
Oxfam volunteers tend to be super friendly and rarely do you meet someone who isn’t lovely in the Oxfield. As a result, the campsites are generally social, with a marquee where you can meet new people and make friends. Many volunteers choose to return year after year, which says a lot about the Oxfam experience.
Given the odd shifts which people take, volunteers are mostly respectful within the campsite, and noise levels are therefore lower than in the punter campsites. Better for sleeping!
3. Free meals
Another benefit of volunteering with Oxfam is that you get one meal token per shift (hence, three meal tokens per festival for a steward). These can be spent at certain food stalls around the Site or at crew catering.
Meal tokens do help to keep food costs down. However, it’s entirely dependent on the festival as to how useful they are, as some festivals only have a couple of useful vendors. Festival volunteers stay longer on-site anyway, so you might need to buy extra meals.
4. Early access to the site
One final great benefit is that volunteers are on-site earlier than the punters are. As such, they often get first access to the arena before it’s open for punters. It’s great to be nosy and see what’s going on before everyone else arrives!
Often you’ll also get the same benefits as being a crew member. This sometimes means a separate crew entrance to the arena, shortcuts across the site via crew means, crew bars in the case of Glastonbury, or even a staff boat in the case of Reading.
The negatives of volunteering with oxfam
1. You can miss a lot of the festival
Stewards work around 24 hours in the festival, excluding travel time, and other roles have a similar commitment. Normally you’ll have a shift over at least one weekend evening, and you might have a night shift as well. For example, you might work Thursday morning (7 am – 3 pm), Friday evening (3 pm – 11 pm) and Saturday overnight (11 pm – 7 am).
As such, any festival volunteer is likely to miss at least one headliner and some of the daytime acts. They might have to sleep at weird times (e.g. during the day) which can be difficult in a buzzing festival.
If you’re wanting to catch all the action at the festival, volunteering is not the way to go!
2. You can’t pick your shift times
As shift patterns are randomly allocated to stewards, you have no control over the shifts that you do beyond indicating you can do early or late dates. That means you may miss your favourite artist.
It should be said that there is normally a “shift swap” notice board for you to request alternative shifts. However, there’s no guarantee someone will switch with you, particularly if you have a less desirable shift covering headliners or overnight.
3. You have to be at the festival for longer
One final disadvantage is that you have to arrive at the festival a day or two before the punters do. As mentioned earlier, this can be a big advantage in getting you early access to the arena.
However, for people with full time jobs it can consume your annual leave! You’ll have to take more time off work than just attending for the weekend like a typical punter.
Alternative festival volunteering options
If you don’t like the sound of Oxfam, that’s fine. Whilst I’ve really enjoyed volunteering with Oxfam, it’s definitely not for everyone.
You can check out volunteering with the following organisations:
- Water Aid
- Crisis
- Mind
- Greenpeace
- My Cause UK, which lets you pick the charity you donate money to
The following volunteer events companies are also options:
You can also work as a paid steward or staff member through an operator like CTM or Hap.
Why volunteer with a company rather than a charity?
You might be thinking, why volunteer with a company? After all, they do not donate money for charity, so you’re in effect working for free.
The big benefit is that companies providing stewards often give their stewards more flexibility. Working with these, you might be able to pick your shifts. It’s a great option if you want to ensure you see your favourite artist.
Not all companies and charities cover the same festivals – Oxfam mainly focuses on large festivals – so it’s also an option if you’re wanting to explore smaller or more niche events.
Why volunteer rather than working the festival?
You might also wonder whether it’s worth volunteering when there are paid roles available with other companies. For example, you could work at at a bar or catering company, or through a security firm.
However, the responsibilities are different when you work at a festival, as there’s an expectation you are there to make money, not to enjoy the music and activities. You might not have access to the festival outside of your shifts. Those shifts are also likely to be much longer, with more responsibility.
It’s definitely a good option if you are looking to make some extra cash, but not if you’re primarily going for the festival experience.
How much does it cost to volunteer with Oxfam?
Festival volunteering with Oxfam is free. However, you have to pay a deposit equal to the ticket to the festival to secure your place, which you receive back after the festival. This is taken to make sure you actually turn up for your shifts!
You’ll also have to make your own way to the festival and buy camping essentials (if you don’t have them already) and additional food, so make sure to account for these when you’re planning to come.
How to sign up
If you’re interested in volunteering with Oxfam, you can sign up on their website. Sign ups open on 1st February 2024, or one week earlier if you have priority access (if you volunteered at two festivals in 2023).
Make sure to join the Oxfam Festivals Facebook group for information from current volunteers. It’s the most up to date place for finding the time that sign-ups open and often contains useful snippets.
To conclude
Festival volunteering is certainly not for everyone.
However, if you do want to go to (free) festivals to earn money for great causes, then I’d really recommend it. I’ve enjoyed each festival I’ve gone to with Oxfam; the Oxfamily makes it such a special experience.
To me, it really is a no brainer.
For more information, check out my festival reviews for Wilderness and Boardmasters, which I also did with Oxfam. Look with New Eyes’ account of volunteering at Glastonbury is also insightful.
I hope this post was useful, but let me know if you have any questions!
